The Muppet Christmas Carol

One of my favorite Christmas TV specials is "Muppet Family Christmas". That was the first time I was introduced to the Muppets as opposed to the Sesame Street characters. I am glad that Jim Henson was still alive to do that because then my first experiences with Kermit, whether on Sesame Street or on this special, were literally by his hand. Then in 1990 came his sudden death that shocked the world and everyone wondered about the future of the Muppets. Would Kermit be retired as a character? The company, under the direction of Henson's children, knew that Kermit was bigger than one man. Mickey Mouse afterall was able to live on after Walt Disney retired from doing the voice. "The Muppet Christmas Carol" was the first Muppet film I saw and the first one that was produced after the death of Jim Henson & fellow Muppeteer Richard Hunt. The movie has become my favorite Muppet film because for the first time, they acted out a classic story. This is the most dramatic film from the Muppets in my opinion. The filmmakers under the direction of Henson's son Brian were able to find an amazing balance of comedy and drama that all good movies need. They also made some story decisions that make this version stand apart from others. Various Muppet Movie traditions were maintained and begun because of this movie.

This classic story has been adapted numerous times for the big screen and those at Jim Henson Productions were uncertain if their version could work. The two most important decisions they made were to create new characters to portray the three ghosts and to quote from the original novel often. Because the Muppets are presenting their rendition of an immortal tale, the comedy and the drama would have to work together in entertaining the audience. Muppet writer Jerry Juhl's use of the original material is extensive for a comedy and director Brian Henson created some fearsome moment that are anything but comedic. I am amazed, as was Michael Caine, that this is Brian Henson's first film as a director. Muppet fans and admirers of Dickens' story become united in their praise. The introduction of Scrooge by way of song is done for the sake of children unfamiliar with the story. One of my favorite gags in the film is the rats' sudden change of mind to being cold after Scrooge's threat. Even Scrooge has a chuckle at that. One story decision that makes this adaptation unique is Cratchit's request to have Christmas Day off from work. In other adaptations, Scrooge expects this request every year and reluctantly gives in. Even in "Mickey's Christmas Carol", Scrooge relents without much convincing. In this film however, it appears as though Scrooge is completely set at first on his decision to open the office on Christmas. Perhaps, he expected the request and wants to make it abolutely clear by way of his initial opposition that he is completely against time off for Christmas. He grants it only because the rest of the world seems to be against him. The sequence at Scrooge's home with the Marley ghosts is the first instance of genuine drama. Even Rizzo is concerned for the kids in the audience (breaking the fourth wall is traditional for a Muppet film by the way). This sense of fear however is not as intense as it could be because of the humor that Rizzo and the Marleys inject. For example, Rizzo prevents Mr. Dickens from following Scrooge into his home and the Marleys, as portrayed by Statler and Waldorf, crack jokes as they usually do. Another really funny gag is Animal when the band starts playing at Fozziwig's party. The only percussion instrument in the song is the triangle and you can tell that Animal has more energy than is needed to play the triangle. Surprisingly, he somehow exercises some self-control at first and that is hilarious. Now comes maybe the only piece of negative criticism I have with the film. The song "When Love is Gone" was cut from the theatrical release by Disney because it was thought that kids would be bored by it. I grew up with the extended version on video with the song included and even though I was a child, I subconsciously understood the value of the sequence. To have it once again cut from the Blu-ray version breaks my heart. It moves the story forward in that for the first time, Scrooge's heart fully breaks. Without the song, Scrooge's sorrow makes little sense. During the song, we have some amazing acting from Caine. I also feel that without the song, the ending of the film with the song's reprise is not as powerful. This was one decision that Disney got wrong and it was made by chairman Jeffery Katzenberg, who also tried to delete "Part of your World" from "The Little Mermaid". It took Pixar's "Toy Story 2" to prove that kids could sit still during a sad song as well as get something out of it.

Another unique characteristic of the story of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is how Scrooge's character change is handled. Usually the visits of the first two spirits give Scrooge grief and remorse. That is the case in this movie as well but in addition to that, Scrooge begins to understand the joy of Christmas with the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Present and the song "It Feels Like Christmas". He wants to see more happy sights and that is exclusive to this adaptation. Scrooge is saddened by the departure of the Ghost of Christmas Present and this is evidence to the change that Scrooge is undergoing. One thing that will probably never change with the story of "A Christmas Carol" is the depiction of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. That character is one of the scariest in any version and I really get a kick out of the fact that Mr. Dickens and Rizzo abandon us. As if they get the break. If our narrator is supposed to omniscient, how is it that he is scared of his own story? That is really funny but interestingly; it doesn't distract us from the story itself because Mr. Dickens & Rizzo quickly say their piece and exit from the scene. These next few sequences do not require any comedy relief, hence the departure of Gonzo and Rizzo. Another distinct feature of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is the scene when Scrooge sees his own tombstone. Earlier versions have the scene as frightening or bleak. The effect that the image has on Scrooge is still monumental but only for him. The audience's attention is focused on Scrooge's reaction instead of how we feel. The music in this scene is also not as grandiose as other versions have it. Caine's performance is the main attribute of this moment and that was a wonderful decision by Brain Henson. Caine also performs the scene as if Scrooge knew all along that the man's fate he was witnessing was his own but was unwilling to admit it. The finale has a sweet moment with Beaker when he gives Scrooge his scarf as a thank you gift. In other versions, Scrooge does receive rewards for his change of heart but they aren't so physical in nature. This appears to be Scrooge's first Christmas present that he has ever received. Scrooge has already learned the emotional rewards in service to others but he is surprised that everyone is so quick to forgive him. He doesn't expect any prize for his charity because he feels he doesn't deserve it. The scarf comes to represent the forgiveness that should not only be had at Christmas but all year round. I love the irony of Scrooge giving coal to his bookkeepers for Christmas. That is pretty funny. Other funny moments in the finale are the "Statler and Waldorf" store that Scrooge & his new friends walk past twice and Mrs. Cratchit's reaction to Scrooge's surprising gift. Caine mentions the salary raise so sternly that it also went over my head at first as a kid. The concluding song "When Love Is Found" is very heartwarming but much more so when played against "When Love Is Gone" as mentioned.

There were eight years that separated this Muppet film from the last one but I love how traditional Muppet film characteristics are employed. Celebrities always surround the Muppets and Michael Caine is the only cameo needed so as not to distract from the story. I have already pointed out much of his great acting in this show but the biggest contribution he made was that he left the comedy to the bears (and the frogs, pigs, rats, etc). What I mean is that he performed the role of Ebenezer Scrooge as dramatically as he would in a normal adaption of "A Christmas Carol". Just as Mark Hamill's performance in "The Empire Strikes Back" made Yoda a credible character on screen and Bob Hoskins' performance in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" allowed us to accept the toons in the real world, Caine's work allows us to accept the Muppets in this classic story. He did have some funny moments such as with the line "unemployed!!" but he represents the serious storytelling that was going on simultaneously with the comedy. He mentions that Fozziwig owns a rubber chicken factory so genuinely that a friend of mine completely missed that joke as a kid. This movie introduced me to the Oscar winning actor and he has never given a bad performance that I have seen. The casting of the various Muppets in their roles was well thought out. It seems to have been done with such ease. Steve Whitmire had performed Kermit a little bit after the death of Jim Henson but I believe that it was this movie that proved to the world that Kermit would continue to be appealing without Henson. Nothing will ever top Henson's performance but there isn't much we can do about his passing. We have to move on. I like how Kermit's name rhymes with Cratchit's so that Miss Piggy can use the nickname "Cratchie". There is less of a romantic subplot between Kermit and Piggy but they are a couple nonetheless so that is a nice compromise. I do like how for the first time, we get to see what it would be like if Kermit and Piggy had children. In the scene after Tiny Tim has died, I was very impressed by the level of drama that Kermit and Piggy were able to portray. Probably the most lasting effect this show had on the Muppets for the decade to come was the pairing of Gonzo and Rizzo. They would be an acting team for two more movies and in other appearances of the Muppets. It works so well in my opinion. Robin as Tiny Tim was an amazing casting choice that came by default once Kermit was cast in his role. I recently saw the movie with a young lady who had not seen it before and she was very touched by the character. With the original story containing a character named Fezziwig, who else but Fozzie could be considered for that role. In order to depict Jacob Marley, a Muppet was needed that was most like Scrooge himself. There was such a character or rather two but more importantly, Statler & Waldorf were able to represent some pity that the story required for those characters. I like how characters from "Muppet Family Christmas" were used such as Fozzie's Mom and the snowman. If Muppets had been cast to play the spirits as was originally planned, it would have distracted us from the story. I like the portrayal of all three spirits, especially the Ghost of Christmas Present. He is my favorite depiction of the character from any version of this classic story as performed by Muppeteer Jerry Nelson. He passed away in 2012 and other than his Sesame Street characters; his best work in his career was on this movie as both the Ghost of Christmas Present and Tiny Tim. The Ghost of Christmas Past is an impressive example of special effects. The Muppet films are known for their special effects and this film is no exception. Blue screen has become an important tool for the Muppets but unlike on the later film "Muppets from Space", the effects are quite seamless. I am amazed for example that when Rizzo is on the roasting goose, you can see his shadow because it adds to the realism. Another great use of special effects is when Cratchit and Tiny Tim are walking home. As with all but one of the Muppet films to date, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is a musical and Paul Williams is back. He wrote the songs for "The Muppet Movie" including "Rainbow Connection" and received an Oscar nomination for it. He was already an Oscar winner by that time and his songs for this movie are some of the best from any Muppet film. The musical score by Miles Goodman was amazing at portraying the necessary moods as mentioned. When I first saw the Blu-ray version of this movie, I was watching to see if the opening titles would wobble but they didn't which means that this was a complete digital restoration. The film looks amazing on Blu-ray and the film almost looks like it was recently made.

In "The Muppet Movie", the characters come to Hollywood to be stars and I like to think that "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is one of the films they made. The movie had to compete with "Aladdin" & "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" at the box office and was only a mild success in theaters as a result. Being a Muppet and Christmas movie however, its popularity has grown a lot since. Whenever you watch something made after 1990 with the Muppets, you have this movie to thank. I think "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is the best Muppet movie because of the story. Usually Muppet films don't need a strong story because the characters are so good but in this case, they adapted a classic story and found that perfect balance between heart & humor. I applaud the work of executive producer Frank Oz, screenwriter Jerry Juhl and first time director Brian Henson. Disney did a great job at distributing and co-producing the film except for the fact that they cut a wonderful song. When I compare Michael Caine's version of Scrooge with others, his is my third favorite after Alastair Sim and Scrooge McDuck. It is not Christmas for me unless Jim Henson does the dishes ("Muppet Family Christmas") but "The Muppet Christmas Carol" continues to be another memorable part of the season for me. For a few years now, I have used the film to kick off my Christmas celebration around December 1st.

4.5 Stars